More of the weekend

We bought a blue bull for Neil to hop around on.

After some hopping Neil crawled over to a sunny spot in order to fill up on some sand.

On Saturday afternoon we visited Kobie and Anelle and watched the rugby there.

Pre-game splashing

The mood was, hmm, subdued after the rugby.

This afternoon we went on a long lazy walk.

Squint for 3D

Flight 60 of 2015 done

According to TripIt, where I log all my flights for easy reference, Friday's flight back to South Africa was my 60th flight this year!

Miekie is impressed with the queen-sized bed that she now has in her room. Marisa bought some new cushions and a new duvet cover for her.

The other side of her room

I got up at 4:30 on Saturday morning to have a look at Venus, Jupiter and Mars, who are all with 5 degrees of each other. I'd hope to spot some meteors from the Orionids meteor shower, but the peak time has passed and the air was a little hazy. So after waiting around for 15 minutes I crept back into bed. I'll try again on Monday morning!

You can see Venus and Jupiter on this photo; Mars is there too but a little too faint for a cellphone camera, it seems

On Saturday morning Alexander and I went to have blood samples taken at the Centurion SANBS. We're having tests done to see if we're a match for Andrew Melck who is in need of bone marrow. He's currently undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia.

Alexander managing to smile while being punctured

Feeling a tiny bit drained afterwards

Off to Botswana

While waiting at O. R. Tambo I thought I'll put up these few photos.

At our swim on Monday afternoon

Miekie's artwork, which was placed first in her grade I believe:

The rest of the weekend...

... was spent cautiously watching rugby, having a braai and seeing Marcus and Ali, and my parents off.

Already looking like a traditional supporter

Pieter's fire

The other one

The next morning Marcus and Ali left after breakfast.

I took my parents back later in the afternoon.

Roast lamb for lunch

Quick drink at the airport where we met Alexander, Misha and Christina whom they were seeing off too

Those not going to the airport took the opportunity to cool down in the pool

Sophia's birthday

Sophia usually doesn't stay with us over weekends but she's making an exception this time because we have so many guests and she's a great help with everything from the housework to looking after kids.

It's especially kind of her to stay because today's her birthday. Marisa and the kids made her some cupcakes and a card to celebrate.

Mr candy-stripes has the tendency to unexpectedly attempt to launch himself from one's grip now and then

The nascent weekend

The week is over! This morning Marisa, my mother and I went to see Miekie receive a certificate for hockey.

A little more orderly than on the field

Marcus and Ali left to visit Nicole and Jason—they'll be back tomorrow afternoon*.

Lunch (no, not Pieter—it's behind him)*

Selfie sequence; Marisa says a group-selfie is called an "onsie" in Afrikaans

(*Don't you just love them em-dashes? ;p )

Ceremoniously de-bachelorised

The big day for Alexander and Misha arrived yesterday.

Xander shortly after waking from where he slept on our stoep

Marcus and Ali arrived around midday

All dressed for the occasion

Julia Yushchenko style

As I was one of the groom's men, I couldn't take photos during the service. The reception was held at a nice inner-city market venue.

In between keeping an eye on kids, talking to friends and family and so on, these are just about the only photos I was able to take. The official photographers must have taken approximately 10,000 photos by my reckoning. In time Xander will make some of those available, I'm sure.

Snooze, splash, tug, snip

Granddad and Gomutti arrived from Cape Town on Monday afternoon.

Neil was already snoozing at the time of the photo

We've got a bit of a heatwave here at the moment. A good reason to take a dip!

Splash (with Pieter—see his legs in the photo—about to join in too)

Neil finds Maya's collar fascinating...

Tug (luckily Maya is very tolerant)

In preparation for Alexander's wedding, Marisa, Pieter and Neil had haircuts yesterday. 

Neil's first snip!

Pre-wedding lunch at Muratie

Sunday's weather was perfect.

The view from Marcus and Ali's flat...

... it looks even better in stereo

It stayed perfect for the lunch we had at Muratie. My parents booked out the venue and there were in the order of eighty guests, comprising members from various branches of the Melck family tree, the Meyers, and friends.

My father, Alexander and Misha spoke extremely well. Unfortunately Marcus knocked his head against a doorway (built before the current era of very tall Melcks) so he and Ali missed a large amount of pleasant small talk and catching up.

While disposing of surplus energy which he had acquired from lunch (a highly recommended lamb shank plus veggies), Craig unintentionally plunged into a little pool while pursuing a ball.

Missing his wetsuit

Memorials

Here's a stereogram that I made my taking two photos out of the aeroplane window in quick succession:

After arriving at Marcus and Ali's flat I had a quick coffee before we drove off to the airport again to fetch my parents. 

A view from their flat (Marcus and Ali are on the bike down at the gate waiting for it to open) (some reflections of cacti through the glass)

Ready to kick off lunch

My parents, Imke, Ingrid and Jacques, Nicole and Karin, Rolf, Leslee, Storm and Klara, Alexander and Misha, Marcus and Ali, and I met at my grandparents' grave late in the afternoon.

(His date of death was actually on 14 September)

In 3D

We had a nice meal at Decameron in Stellenbosch.

Afterwards we attended the memorial concert for my grandfather in the Endler Hall. It was all fantastic and the first time I'd heard the composition by Roelof Temmingh on the theme RICHARD HERMANN BEHRENS which I found a beautiful piece performed extremely well. (Here's the program: link.)